03/03/2011 by Buildington
In spring 2011, the Royal Academy of Arts will present the first major retrospective exhibition of Jean-Antoine Watteau’s (1684 – 1721) drawings to be held in the UK. The display will contain over 80 works on paper produced by the French artist. The exhibition will be organised chronologically and will examine the development and mastery of his drawing methods. Watteau is perhaps best known for his invention of fêtes galantes, a new genre of small pictures of social gatherings of elegant people in parkland settings, examples of these together with theatre pieces, portraits and shop interiors will be on display.